My Friend’s Place
Through The Years
My Friend's Place remains dedicated to ending youth
homelessness both in our community and beyond.
Our History
1988
Co-founded in 1988 by Steve LePore and Craig
Scholz and originally called The Lighthouse, My
Friend’s Place formally incorporated in 1990,
becoming a 501(c)3, in order to provide
additional services and in April of 1992, opened a
facility at 1641 Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood.
1992
The earliest services offered a few hours of
respite from the street, food and compassionate,
caring adult guidance. During the L.A. riots of
1992, My Friend’s Place was the only facility on
Las Palmas to escape damage during the
violence. The youth stood in front of the building,
demanding that their space be respected
because they had no other place to go.
1993
In 1993, due to the dramatic increase of youth
seeking services, My Friend’s Place moved to a
facility four times the size at 1643 Cherokee
Avenue and expanded again in 1996 to 6350
Hollywood Boulevard. At that time, the
organization’s budget was $277,500 and featured
a staff of four.
2011- 2018
Over the years, My Friend’s Place has been fortunate
to build a vibrant, dedicated community of supporters,
many of whom helped elevate the issue of youth home-
lessness to both national and international significance.
Whether it was our early work with Kobe and Vanessa
Bryant or our continuing work with Miley Cyrus and Halsey
every contributor and volunteer has helped My Friend’s
Place become the thriving organization in operation today.
My Friend’s Place Today
33 Years
of Service30+
MFP Staff1,000+
Volunteers
Today, as we celebrate our 33 years of service,
My Friend’s Place continues to meet the needs
of thousands of youth through our mission to
assist and inspire homeless youth to build self-
sufficient lives. With a staff of more than 30 and
the support of more than 1,000 volunteers
a year, My Friend's Place remains dedicated to
ending youth homelessness both in our
community and beyond.
